Hone



Feb. 5, 1935. R, BRQWN I 1,990,401

HONE

Original Filed May s. 1953 Patented Feb. 5, 1935 HONE Robert E. Brown,Olean, N. Y.; Ethel I. Brown administratrix of said Robert E. Brown, de-

ceased Application May 3, 1933, Serial No. 669,265 Renewed July 6, 193412 Claims.

This invention relates to blade sharpeners and more particularly, to anovel form of hone especially designed for sharpening either single ordouble edged razor blades.

Heretofore, hones have been constructed with a concave abrading surfacestruck from a fixed center so that a low point is present at the bottomof the abrading surface which must be spanned or bridged by a razorblade when the blade is placed in position on the hone preparatory tosharpening the same. The placing of the blade on such a concave abradingsurface causes the extreme delicate cutting edge or edges of the bladeto come in instant and positive abrading contact with the hone and asthe inclination of the abrading surface at "said low point does notalways coincide with the bevel or inclination of the cutting edge of theblade the delicate adjustment of said cutting edge is often damaged andsome times ruined. The careless positioning of the razor blade on theconcave abrading surface often results in similar damage to the cuttingedge of the blades. Furthermore, when the hone is provided with acontinuous uniform concave abrading surface, the last movement of theblade when sharpening double edged blades is necessarily a honing strokeon one of the edges whereas in order to obtain the best results the lastmovement of the blade should be a stropping or back-first stroke.

In order to overcome these difficulties I have provided a hone havingoppositely disposed concave abrading surfaces struck from differentcenters but having the same radii,'said concave surfaces being connectedby a fiat blade support or platform disposed tangentially thereto sothat the blade may be easily and gently moved laterally onto eitherabrading surface without liability of damage to the delicate cuttingedge.

The invention contemplates the provision of a fiat horizontally disposedblade supporting surface or platform of a width-equal to at least thewidth of a razor blade so that when the blade is positioned on theplatform neither cutting edge will come in direct or positive contactwith either abrading surface and liabilty of damage to thedelicatecutting edge of the blade due to careless placing of the blade on thehone thus effectually obviated.

The invention further aims to provide a hone having concave abradingsurfaces each of which is provided with distinctive zones or areas ofrelatively fine and coarse abrading material so that a blade may befirst thoroughly ground,

when necessary, and then honed to impart a smooth shaving edge thereto.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their durability, utility andefficiency.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and inwhich like reference numerals indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawing:

Figure l is a perspective view of a hone embodying the presentinvention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation on an enlarged scale, showing in full linesa razor blade'resting onthe supporting platform and in dotted lines theposition assumed by the blade when making an initial sharpening stroke.Figure 3 is a detail end elevation illustrating a modified form of theinvention.

Figure 4 is a similar view illustrating another modification. Figure 5is an and elevation illustratng a further modification.

The improved hone forming the subject matter of the present inventioncomprises a block or slab 5 preferably substantially rectangular inshape, as shown, and molded or otherwise formed of suitable abrasivematerial. The block is preferably provided with a fiat base or bottom 6so that it may rest firmly on a table or other support during thesharpening operation.

Formed in the block or slab and opening through the upper face andopposite sides thereof are coacting concave abrading surfaces 7 and 8having the same radii, as indicated by the dotted lines 9, but struckfrom different centers, as indicated at '10, and over which they razorblade 10 travels in the act of sharpening the same. The concave abradingsurfaces '7 and 3 may be in the form of segments of any correct sizedcircle which may be required to properly fit the a rigle atthe extremeedge of the razor blade at which said edge has been ground, honed, orotherwise sharpened.

Disposed between the concave abrading surfaces 7 and 81s an intermediatehorizontally disposed blade supporting surface 11 on which the blade 10isadapted to rest when in position on the hone. The supporting surfaceI1 is preferably slightly wider than the widest razor blade and. isdisposed at a tangent to the abrading surfaces 7 and -8 so that saidabrading surfaces will merge into the supportingsurface and not presentany angles or obstruction at the junction thereof and will thus allowthe edges of the blade to positively and gently contact with theabrading sur-.-

faces when the blade is moved laterally on the and a reciprocatingmotion imparted thereto. At 1 this point it may be noted that inasmuchas the supporting surface 11 is flat and of greater width a honeconstructed with a concave abrading surat a tangent to the abradingsurfaces, when said than the width of the razor blade and is'ldisposedblade is positioned on the supporting surface 11, the delicate cuttingedges of the blade-will not come in contact with the abrading surfacesand turn or otherwise damage the shaving edge. As the blade isreciprocated to effect the sharpening thereof the initial forwardmovementof the blade in one direction will cause the'cultting edge ofthe 7 blade to gently come in contact with the adjacent abrading surfaceand impart a honingaction thereto and a reverse or backward movement ofthe blade will give the-cutting edge a stropping action. Inasmuch as oneside of the blade always rests on the supporting. surface 11 'it followsthat the last stroke of the blade in sharpening the same will be astropping stroke and not a'honing stroke, which is quite a desideratumin the sharpening of all kindsof razor blades. Furthermore, as the bladeinitially rests on the supporting surface 11, it may befplaced thereonin a careless manner without liability of damaging the shaving edge,this being due to the fact that the supporting surface ll'isperfectlyfiat and of a width greater than the width of. the blade. As the flatsupporting surface 11 is disposed at a tangent to the abrading surfacesand gradually merges into said surfaces, it follows that I am able toattain the most "delicate contactbetween the extreme edge of the bladeand the abrading surfaces and, consequently, damage to the delicateshaving edge is effectually obviated. This positive yet delicate contactbetween the shaving edge and the abrading surfaces is ofparamount'importance as is likewise the fact "that the last movement 'ofthe blade imparts a stropping action thereto as'contr'adistinguished toa honing action. The rearward or stroppingaction of the blade tends toaline'rthe tooth-like unevennessof' the shaving edge and is particularlyeffective" in theinstant 'caseowing to the fact that the abradingsurface is extremely fine and the stropped edge gradually and gentlyleaves contact with said abrading surface. This makes for the highestdegree of shaving edge perfection and is impossible of accomplishmentwith the ordinary concave hone.

' In Figure 3 of the drawingthere is illustrated amodified form of theinvention in which'the lower portion of the hone is formed of relativelyfine abrading material and the upper portion 12 formed ofcoarser-material, the purpose of the coarser material 12 being toenablethe user to cut 'down'the edges of razor blades rapidly if said bladesshould be rusty or very dull, by merely continuing the motion of thebladeup to and across the curved face of the coarser zone of the hone.It will, of course, be'understood that after the rusthasbeen removed bycontact with the coarse zone orthe-blade sharpened thereon, the honingaction will be continued on the loweryfine zone of the hone in the usualmanner so as to give the blade :tsxrioothsharpshaving edge.

Another modification of the invention is illustrated in Figure 4, inwhich the hone is provided with upper and lower abrading surfaces 13-and 14 which may be of the same or different curvatures and one of saidabrading surfaces may be formed with transverse corrugations 15 orotherwise roughened to serve the same purpose as the coarse abradingportion'illustrated in'Figure 3 of the drawing. If desired, however, thecorrugations or roughened portion may be formed on the intermediateblade supporting surface instead of on the concave surfaces. 1

It has been found by actual experience that *or bridgethelow point ofsaid concave and the coincide with the inclination or bevel of thecutting edge of the blade and that when positioning the blade'at thelowpointof the concavity, the concave surface on either side of the lowpoint of the concave also tends -to damage the delicate cutting edge."With the present in-v vention this damaging action to the delicatecutting'edge of the blade cannot occur as the blade slides from thesupporting surface into edge abrading contact with the honesothat themost careless or inexperienced person can effectively sharpen razorblades with my hone without 1iability of damagingthe delicate shavingedge and also bej 'assured of 'truealining of the tooth-like unevennessof said shaving edge as the last movement of the blade on theabradingsurface is a stropping stroke and not a honing stroke.

In Figure 5, I have illustrated a further modification in whichthe'central portion of the-hone is provided with a convexbladesupporting surface 16 of the desired width, instead'of a fiat surface,this'form of the'de'vice being particularly adapted for sharpeningbarberrazors as a convex surface will take such a razor without damaging thecutting-edge thereof. 'It will be noted that regardless of whether theintermediate supporting surface isfiat or convex, said surface willreceive and supporta razor bladethereon with the cutting edge or edgesof the blade normallyout' of abrading contact with'the'concave surfacesso as to preventdamage to the cutting edge of the blade.

It will, of course, be understood'that'thehones may be'made in differentsizes and shapes and constructed from any suitable material having thedesired abrading or stropping properties without departing from thespirit of. the invention.

Having thus "described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A hone having a concave abrading surface, and a blade supportingsurface tangential thereto. I

2. A bone having concave 'abrading surfaces, and a blade supporting.surface=:-'between..;the abrading surfaces and tangential thereto.

3. A hone havingconcave abrading surfaces, and a-flat horizontal- -bladesupporting surface between the abrading surfaces and. tangentialthereto. I g g I 4. A hone having concave abrading surfaces, and a bladesupportingsurface .between and tangential to the 'abradingsurfaces andor; width approximately equal-tothe width of arazor'blade.

5. A hone having concave surfaces each of which is provided withdistinctive areas of relatively fine and coarse abrading material, and ablade supporting surface between the areas of fine abrading material andtangential thereto.

6. A hone comprising a slab having concave abrading surfaces openingthrough the top thereof, and a flat blade supporting surface between theabrading surfaces and tangential thereto.

7. A hone provided with concave abrading surfaces struck from differentcenters but having the same radii, and a flat blade supporting surfaceconnecting the abrading surfaces and tangential thereto.

8. A hone comprising a slab of abrading material having concave abradingsurfaces therein and opening through the top thereof, and a fiathorizontally disposed blade supporting surface connecting the abradingsurfaces and tangential thereto.

9. A hone comprising a slab of abrading material having one face thereofprovided with concave abrading surfaces struck from different centersbut having the same radii, and a flat horizontal surface of a widthsufficient to support a razor blade thereon connecting the concaveabrading surfaces and gradually merging into said concave surfaces.

10. A hone comprising a substantially rectangular slab of abradingmaterial having a concave portion opening through the top and oppositesides thereof and presenting oppositely disposed concave abradingsurfaces struck from different centers but having the same radii, and aflat horizontally disposed supporting surface of greater width than arazor blade connecting the inner ends of the concave abrading surfacesand disposed tangentially thereto.

11. A hone comprising a body portion having oppositely disposed concaveabrading surfaces and a flat intermediate horizontal blade supportingsurface merging into and connecting the concave abrading surfaces anddisposed tangential thereto whereby a blade resting. on the supportingsurface may be moved laterally from said supporting surface to bring thecutting edge of said blade into direct and positive contact with eitherabrading surface.

12. A hone having concave abrading surfaces and a supporting surfacebetween the abrading surfaces adapted to receive and support a razorblade thereon with the cutting edges of the blade normally out ofabrading contact with said concave surfaces.

ROBERT E. BROWN. EL. 5.]

